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Co-workers form new local band

By Timm Collins;
9:14 p.m. PST December 24, 2013

Members of Dead Wood Standing rehearse at Fire Fish Studios in Silverton on Dec. 17. Band members Ty Boland, left, Chuck Hawley and Dylan Barr formed the band after meeting on the job at the Oregon Garden Resort.
(Photo:
Timm Collins / Appeal Tribune
)

What started as co-workers jamming after work has turned into one of Silverton’s newest music groups, Dead Wood Standing, and the sound is a Pacific Northwest original.

Ty Boland, Chuck Hawley and Dylan Barr all work at the Oregon Garden.

Boland is a horticulturist and Hawley and Barr do maintenance jobs ranging from replacing light bulbs to building the cottages found in the Oregon Garden’s Christmas light display.

Hawley, the maintenance manager at the garden, and Barr have been working on construction and decoration of the Christmas Village since July.

About six months ago, the trio started playing together regularly and eventually made it official by forming the band.

Though they come from very different musical backgrounds, their individual efforts combine to create something totally unique — a loud, fast-paced Americana-like sound with a hints of garage and punk rock.

“We just kind of invented it, but there are other things that are similar,” Boland said.

The sound is similar to bluegrass or classic country, only with rock percussion. The lyrics have punk rock aspects as well as a Honky Tonk appeal or “1970s outlaw country,” as Boland describes it.

Boland, the group’s lead singer, grew up in the shadow of Mt. Hood in Brightwood, Oregon. He also plays guitar and banjo.

Barr sings backup vocals and plays bass and keyboard. He is a Silverton native and a 2008 graduate of Silverton High School.

Hawley, the drummer, is originally from Hawaii but spent time in California before moving to Oregon. Thomas Mudrick occasionally sits in on harmonica.

A life-long musician, Boland said it wasn’t until the three started playing together that he really “opened up” artistically. He said it took eight years to write the first song, “Death of Me,” on the group’s CD.

“We started playing it together and it was sounding really good. As soon as that happened, it just opened up other things,” Boland said.

Boland said he’s written seven songs for Dead Wood Standing, six of which are featured on the band’s first CD, which will available after the first of the year.

Their influences are varied. Hawley listens to rock and metal, Barr is more of an alternative music buff and Boland listens to more Bluegrass.

Boland said the group’s name, Dead Wood Standing, is a forestry term that represents the resiliency of the human spirit.

“Dead trees get beat down and haggard but they are still there upright and taking a beating,” Boland said.

What’s next?

Dead Wood Standing will play at 10 p.m. in the Fireside Lounge at The Oregon Garden Resort. Tickets are available at oregongardenresort.com.

To see more on Dead Wood Standing, including video clips and more from the group’s interview, go to SilvertonAppeal.com